Ice Bucket Challenge

Oliver was challenged by a friend to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge...  his brother was more than happy to help him out!  Whatever would we have done had this challenge began in the winter months, right?  As it worked out, the sun was shining and Oliver only shivered slightly.

While Oliver doesn't have a Facebook account to share his video, he apparently did so through his Instagram account.

A former coworker of mine, Ken, was recently diagnosed with ALS.  He's been on my mind and in my prayers since this total "awareness and donation" campaign began this summer.  I've told the boys about the disease and also sat down as a family to watch Pete Frates story so they understood where the ice bucket challenge started.  Such a horrible disease, but it can be managed as I've seen a few friends who have family members with it -- who has lived 17 years after diagnosis and is still thriving - so much so that his family helped HIM do the ice bucket challenge.  It brought goosebumps to my arms and a tear to my eye.  Bless all of you who are living with or caring for someone who has ALS.

Don't ever doubt the power of social media!

Grab a bucket and challenge a friend today!

Keep up the challenges and donations!  

it's a scary world out there



The Scream

No, I don't mean Scream, scary movies, or Halloween, because it is October after all.  I'm talking about raising youth today.  Being a child in this age of internet has made it even more difficult for our children to be who they are without being judged, picked on, finding ways to compare themselves, or even find positive role models (not Miley or the Biebs).  Let's just say that I am soooooo very thankful I'm raising boys, but that doesn't mean it's any easier. 

I read an article last Sunday that scared the wits out of me. It should scare anyone out there raising children today, because if you're not aware or think it cannot happen to your child...  think again.

But in combating cyberbullying, which experts say has become the most prevalent form of bullying, law enforcement and school officials face an ever-changing challenge: The cruel messages and pictures Ivy received arrived on websites like Ask.fm, Snapchat, Instagram and Kik — relatively new sites that have been linked nationally to teen suicides but remain foreign to many adults.

We had a discussion about this topic while standing in line to eat dinner at church last night; it got quite interesting as it went along.  It began as almost any other in our house...  "did you see the story about..." and "are you using this app?  do you have a user-name or account?  what is it?"  You see, while my boys may think it's nagging or intrusive that I'm always inquiring for their passwords and watching their online activity, I call it thoughtful, thorough and aware parenting.  I will be there to monitor their use, step in when I see a need, or otherwise caution them where I see a friend who may be abusing cyberspace.  

Oliver then told me he was asked to wear orange to school today.  There's extra credit involved, of course, but he would have done it anyway.  The kids in middle school were also given bracelets for the anti-bullying message the school district is pushing through the ranks.  You see, in addition to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it's now also National Bullying Prevention Month.  There doesn't seem to be enough months in a year to keep up with all of the causes, does there?  I know there are many who may think that this is just one more cause being shoved in our face, but for me, it's one more opportunity to make a difference.  Especially in the lives of ma boys!

My employer is also on board with the message this month.  Raise a Giant. Sponsored by the Jolly Green, of course.  Who better to stand up to bullying, right?  We were handed this sticker to wear as we walked into work today.

I penned {okay, typed on the computer} a letter to my boys earlier last month before this campaign was launched.  Here's my words to My Son, all three of them.  I created a letter from the heart, my heart, and hope that someday these words will echo in their ears and ring true to the young men they will have become.  My boys are all on the cusp of a birthday this winter...  they will be 13, 15 and 21.  Each stage of these ages are ripe with facing challenges, making choices, and forming their minds and hearts. As I see it, the best birthday gift I can give them is my wisdom, love and support.

 

Will you write a letter to your child?  A niece/nephew?  Grandchild?  You can do it here.  Add your voice to the crowd of loved ones who wish only the best for future generations.

did you hear?

An American woman won the Miss America 2014 crown last night.  Period.  I participated and watched Twitter as the evening went along.  I had my favorites (Go Miss #ArmyStrong Kansas, and Miss Minnesota made it to the Top 5).  I even joked a little when the talent was showcased, trying to do so in a nice way, as some were either very nervous or clearly not trained in voice.   

And then....

Miss New York is crowned.

Twits started twittering about ethnicity.  Name-calling, blaming a culture, getting down-right ugly and rude.  Quite frankly, I no longer wanted to be a part of the social media that wasn't seeing the beautiful woman before us who was just crowned. 

Deserving.

Gorgeous.

Talented.

American.

On the Today show website this afternoon, they're also trying to address aforementioned subject.  So very sad, what people will do and say in this day and age.  Haven't we overcome these barriers?  Will we ever see one another through love's eyes?

"I have to rise above that," she said, according to the AP. "I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."

 

Congratulations, Nina, Miss America 2014!  You are very desrving of the title. You represent American women.  I know you will use your ""celebrating diversity through cultural competency" platform to educate so many who will obviously need educating during your reign.

Kudos.  Blessings.  You've earned it!

perspective

did you know

that if you have a roof over your head,

gas in your tank (tummy & car),

electricity, lights and a dry room,

and a warm place to sleep tonight...

you're probably in the minority lately?

I was really struck by the words from a friend's relative that was shared with me recently.  I realize that this is probably small in comparison to world hunger, and those who are still recovering from other world catastrophes, but this is right here...  in our back yard...  and they're battening down the hatches for another storm to hit this week/end!

Please... keep them in your prayers and thoughts.  The cancellation of the NYC marathon should have been the least of our worries.  If you are able to donate to Red Cross or another organization, or help someone you know personally, please do not hesitate during this month of THANKSGIVING! 

There should be no boundaries to generosity & grace.

It’s a pity party day today.


Still no power, and from what we heard from neighbors last night…it looks like it could be weeks. I listen to the local radio during the day and it’s just all depressing. People calling in crying who have nothing or have trees on their houses and no one has power. They advertise shelters and hot meal locations. People are getting angry, it gets scary to go to the gas station. They have gas rationing and you can only go on odd/even days depending on your license plate number. People are desperate and they pull up to the stations ready for a fight. They now have cops at the stations. It’s just exhausting. And It’s really hard to leave the house because we have a fire burning for heat and I don’t want to leave that unattended, plus, when we leave we have to turn the generator off and it gets really cold in here.

People keep saying “go to a hotel”, etc. but, it’s a hard thing to do because since it’s so cold, leaving the house without power leaves it at risk of the pipes freezing. Also, we have trees laying on power lines and it just seems like not a good idea to leave things unattended in case something happens. I leave for a business trip tomorrow and get home Friday night. I am really looking forward to the break, although I feel bad for leaving him alone to deal with it all. It seriously is a two person job at a minimum!!

I have SOO much laundry piled up and we can’t run the washer or dryer on the generator. I took a bunch of work clothes to the dry cleaners the week before the storm and of course they are closed with no power so, items that I would bring with me are sitting somewhere and we can’t get them! My husband’s office is opening back up tomorrow. He was called in today to help test out systems to make sure they can get up and running for everyone tomorrow. Our dog day care place near his office is still closed, so I hope they get power before tomorrow so he can go to work and drop the dog off while I am gone!

Don’t worry, we won’t run out of food. There are some grocery stores open several towns over, so that’s not an issue. COOKING that food is a challenge. We have a crock pot and an electric frying pan that we alternate plugging in with an extension cord. Doing dishes is also “fun”. We fill up the crock pot with water and heat it up to pour in the sink to wash dishes, then heat up more water in the crock pot to rinse the dishes in. The house is a mess of extension cords and chainsaw parts and crap. I am just OVER it!

  Please think twice before complaining about the election and maybe instead, focus on doing something positive for a neighbor in need.

glued.

Are you as mesmerized by the Olympics this year as I am?  I cannot wait to finish dinner and park my tush on the sofa to watch the days' events unfold on the big screen.  Soon, my DVR won't be able to hold any more coverage, especially next week when a couple of the family is off to the BWCA and I am off at a work event.

If I've been successful in ignoring social media and news reports during the day, it's as if I am watching it LIVE ~ holding my breath, biting my nails, and cheering on Team USA, along with the parents of these young athletes.

How about that Fab 5 group of young ladies...  amazing talent, perseverance and poise!

simply incredible.

And did you catch the short clip of Aly's parents?  Priceless.  I also liked the article written here about the coverage of this event.

the winningest Olympian.  ever.

There's the women's beach volleyball, sculling, swimming and springboard synchronized diving... my head is going to explode...  so much excitement and talent to cheer on...  whatever will we do when it's over?!   Oh right, go back to life as we know it, and get ready for school to start in five short weeks. {meh}

Now, back to the Olympics...

WordFULL Wednesday

Share. 
Spread the word. 
Future generations are counting on us.
#stopkony

Precious in His Sight

...so many

boys and girls

desperately

wanting

needing

a forever family!

It just breaks my heart. I do believe there are families out there for these children on Adeye's blog. I can only share and share and hope that someone, somewhere, is able to help find these children who are "aging out" of the system find a forever family!

More information is here in Adeye's post.

And even more information in this adoption blog too...   wonderful waiting kids

Do you know someone who has been waiting? 
Will you help spread the word too?
Will you go?

Visionaries

The world pauses to recognize a true visionary who died yesterday... 

The TODAY Show dedicated the whole morning to his story.  Crazy.

Crazier yet to think of where we would be if people like Steve Jobs didn't follow their passion, march to their own beat, and defy the odds of normal.  "If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.  Don't settle.  As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.  And, like any great relationships, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

So does the name Kevin Clash also ring a bell?  He is the hand/man behind the beloved Elmo.  Do you know his story?  Another man who followed his passion, beyond the teasing and the disbelief of others, to bring SMILES and LOVE to the faces of millions everywhere.

Can't wait to see this documentary!
it opens November 18th @ the Lagoon if anyone wants to join me?

I grew up on Sesame Street.
And the first computer I learned to type on was an Apple Macintosh.

We have a lot to learn from these visionaries.

... these are the lessons of passion that I hope to share with my boys...  

and to never, ever, hold them back from doing something they love!

LOVE your children... unconditionally

I stopped listening to country music quite some time ago...  after a while, it was all too depressing.  Once upon a time it really spoke to me (guess that tells you where I was at that point in my life).  Anyway, in honor of the local WEFest in Minnesota this weekend, I decided to listen to a few of the newer songs and then go back to a few classic favorites too.  One of the artist's that moved me back in the day was Martina McBride.  I watched this video this morning and it brought tears to my eyes. 



Love the children.  They are our future.  Teach them.  Save them.

Into the looking glass...

History.  My history.  The world's history.

I was never one who had a whole lot of interest in history, or war, for that matter.  Last night, however, I spent a few hours back in the early 1930's....   living through the images that I was scanning for my father, of his father in the Spanish Civil War.  I never met my grandfather.  He was born one-hundred years ago, March 15, 1911.  Veikko Olavi Lindfors died when my father was a teenager. They called him Ole {yes, like the Finnish Sven & Ole jokes told in Minnesota} back then.  The images of the war are amazing.  Yet it was not our war.  These men of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, of which my grandfather was a part of, fought together with other countries in the Spanish Civil War.  This was also known as the first "media war" and was covered by foreign correspondents, to include Ernest Hemingway.

Taken from Wiki:

Many non-Spanish people, often affiliated with radical, communist or socialist parties or groups, joined the International Brigades, believing that the Spanish Republic was the front line of the war against fascism. The troops of the International Brigades represented the largest foreign contingent of those fighting for the Republicans. Roughly 40,000 foreign nationals fought with the Brigades, although at any given time there were no more than 18,000; they came from a claimed 53 nations.^[121] Most of them were communists or trade unionists, and while organised by communists guided or controlled by Moscow, they were almost all individual volunteers.

The American volunteers fought in units such as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and Canadians in the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion.^[122]

Comrades (Veikko, lower right)

Sepia-toned images that seem to STOP a moment in time and say look at me!  With a look, a smile, a building crumbling in the background, children who were left behind and not sent to an orphanage or a brigade of volunteers marching the street.  All of the images calling us to remember a moment in time.

Veikko Olavi Lindfors

The world...  falling apart and coming together.

Another war, not the first, nor the last.

But history.  Ours.  Mine.

Olavi = Oliver

Oliver was born
the day
his grandmother
Elsie died,
Veikko's wife.

Forecast: Sunshine & 75*

 Watch & listen, share & tweet!

Dear 16-year old me...

Have fun...  but wear sunscreen...  please!

On my knees

Dear Lord,

On this National Day of Prayer, I am so very grateful for those You have placed in my life on this Earthly journey.  May You shower them with love, peace and self-acceptance.  Show us all how to be kind to one another and find our strength through Your grace.

Amen.

The National Day of Prayer (NDP) is an annual event for Americans of all faiths to take time to pray for our nation and its leaders. The NDP was established by an act of Congress as a day to call the entire nation to prayer. The NDP Task Force focuses specifically on promoting the need to pray for our nation and those in positions of cultural influence. National days of prayer have been called as early as 1775, with the First Continental Congress. Abraham Lincoln also called for such a day in 1863. The NDP as an annual event was established by a Joint resolution of Congress in 1952, and signed into law by President Truman. The law was amended in 1988 and signed by President Reagan to be the first Thursday of May each year. And yet they say politics and religion do not mix!?

Did you hear?

There's a fairytale wedding today!

I absolutely love this photo.

 

Ben Stansall / AFP - Getty Images

Yes, I am one who believes in happily ever-after and cannot wait to get home from work and watch the wedding this weekend.  Thankful, however, that it's on DVR so I can skip through 9 hours of taped television, most of which is carefully {not} chosen advertising.  Henry is excited to watch and ask questions too!  So nice that even though God blessed me with boys, at least on occasion one of them enjoys these fun girly things right along with me.   Shhhh, don't tell him I said that!

Sure, the media-hype, dress talk and pomp & circumstance are a bit over-the-top, but underneath it all, the little glimpses of coy smiles, stolen looks and unabashed love are adoringly beautiful in their purest form.  Isn't that what LOVE is all about?  And their prayer with one another...  how precious is that?!  

May God bless them and keep them safe!

God Works in Mysterious & Wonderful Ways

I wish I could get into books again, but it seems that my passion for reading lately draws me more & more to the non-fiction and personal lives of others. I find myself entranced and inspired by many lately who choose to make a difference in the world, and Adeye and her family are walking the talk.

I found Adeye's blog quite some time ago... don't know if anyone else is interested, but her most recent post just has me wanting to SHOUT from the rooftops for the orphans of the world and the simplicity of answered prayers.

Just sharing.

Redeeming Love

Time flies...

Where did 2010 go? No, really.

For all that I can remember, we (all those @ 3513) had a fabulous year to look back and reminisce about. I am constantly reminding myself to be grateful, give back, and pay it forward. I know that my glass-half-full mantra has a lot to do with how I see the world around me. Being OPEN to all that is good brings about good.

There is a lot of negative in the world. I don't ignore it, per se, but I also don't soak it up and let it spoil my inner-essence. Most recently I have been bugged about those who complain about Mondays. Really, what's the point? It comes around 52 times a year. That's 52 negatives that you allow to intercede your mind! Instead, think of each Monday as a chance to "get it right" - do good - and start over each week. My week starts on Sunday... with prayers and positive affirmations, actually, so by Monday when everyone else is complaining, I'm already two feet firmly planted in the positive!

I don't make new year's resolutions. I live my life with intention. I started this year with two hours of yoga and very specific intentions for a healthy baby in March and continued good health for myself the remainder of 2011. I am open to all that is good, all that is waiting for me to find it, embrace it!

There are many changes I'd like to see for myself in 2011. I will start with continued positive thinking... and a bit of uncluttering of the mind. I am good at organization; I enjoy being creative and love communication...I am opening all windows and doors to new possibilities in my life.

Namaste

~ J

Change the world...

If you don't like how our country is being run, today's one of the days you can do something about it.  Exercise your right to vote and make a difference in the world.

Liked:  Voting across party lines and hoping to vote out some career politicians in my district.

Disliked:  Over 20 judges running unopposed (yes, I skipped filling in the circles).

What a great nation we live in that allows us this freedom of democracy...  make your vote count!

Chilean Miners

Amazing Grace.

How sweet thou art.

I am just glued to the images and stories of the Chilean miners being rescued today.  I pray that their homecoming and recuperation goes smoothly!  God Bless all of you and those who had a hand in your rescue.  What a story you have lived to tell!

All God's Children

I don't understand why children are orphaned and left to live a life of solitary confinement. It breaks my heart. I was reading Adeye's blog post today and it is so sad....  heartbreaking.... to see these beautiful children left behind. Guess this goes along with my short post yesterday about An Orphan's Wish.  There are so many children in the world who just want someone to hold them.  Love them.  Tell them they matter!

While I was off on my blog trail, I found this on another site as requirements for adoption. Really?  No, really!?  Your country is abandoning children left and right, and you put these restrictions on who you dictate is the ideal adoption family?  Sure it makes sense to run a background check and have a few ideals in mind, but this seems very narrowing, absurd and absolutely ridiculous.  No wonder the children are left waiting and wishing. 

• Only one parent must travel
• Married couples only
• One parent must be US citizen
• Both parents must be between 30-54 years old
• Married at least 2 years, if previously married see more details
• No more than 6 children at home
• Previous experience with Down syndrome preferred
• Minimum of $10,000 of annual income per family member, including the new child you hope to adopt
• A minimum of $80,000 net worth      - really!!??
• Health good, no history of cancer. No medication for depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) must be under 40
• No criminal record or alcohol within the past 10 years

Like a job description, just laid out as requirements of who might fill the need of a forever family ~ some a tad lofty (in my opinion).  I just don't get it.  All God's children deserve a forever family.  No strings attached.  Loving unconditionally with open arms should not have such constraints placed upon it.

I'm not sure why I am so drawn to this cause lately.  The purpose has not yet been made clear to me.  If we were at a different place in our lives right now, I would adopt a little girl in a heartbeat.  Perhaps I can get my boys enlisted in choosing a child and helping to spread love and sponsor a child?   For now, I guess my role in this world dilemma will be educating and prayer warrior.  I will pray for families to show up and take these little ones into their homes and hearts, and I will pray for the countries choosing to abandon God's children ~ that they find a way to change this practice.

God bless the little children of the world,

Chinese New Year

It is the Chinese New Year today aka Lunar New Year. Oliver came home delcaring that it is the year of the RAT and anyone born this year is a RAT! (Chinese:鼠)

Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new year containing a new moon (some sources include New Year's Eve)and ends on the Lantern Festival fourteen days later.

It is extremely enlightening to read about other cultures and their traditions. I am thrilled that my children are learning this appreciation at a very young age.

We had Oliver's school conference tonight and he is doing very well in first grade. He's all boy, of course, and has his moments of not sitting still or paying attention. However, his report from the teacher is that he's a very enthusiastic learner! The next thing of study is money ~ Oliver's favorite! His teacher has recently read Three Cups of Tea and is going to inspire the children to bring in Pennies for Peace. It looks like a very interesting book; I will have to add it to my reading list.